To Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, a woman of great power and charm, whose story has inspired important writers such as William Shakespeare, Théophile Gautier, and George Bernard Shaw, as well as artists, musicians, and directors, the Royal Museums of Turin dedicate an exhibition dossier as part of the celebrations of the 300 years of the Museum of Antiquities (1724-2024).

From November 23, 2024, to March 23, 2025, the Discovery Space of the Sabauda Gallery hosts the exhibition titled Cleopatra. The woman, the queen, the myth, curated by Annamaria Bava and Elisa Panero, which delves into the historical events and the legend, through a profile of the character and her time, the birth of the myth, and the fascination exerted over the centuries.

The exhibition path is divided into five thematic areas and focuses on the enigmatic Head of a young woman known as Cleopatra, in white marble from the mid-1st century BC, from the Museum of Antiquities, which in the hairstyle and features shows characteristics that refer to the well-known iconography of Cleopatra VII, alongside archaeological artifacts and ancient sculptures, from the heritage of the Royal Museums and from public and private collections, in dialogue with paintings, graphics, and film documents that have featured the queen of Egypt over the centuries.

The exhibition opens with a historical overview of the period in which Cleopatra VII (51-30 BC) lived and ruled, the last queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty in an Egypt now Hellenized, due to the actions of Alexander the Great starting in the 4th century BC. Egypt, a country at the forefront, inserted in the Mediterranean, a meeting place of different civilizations and traditions, characterized by a strong respect for the traditions of pharaonic Egypt and at the same time by adherence to the Hellenistic cultural Koiné.

The section Cleopatra: the queen who defied Rome focuses on the figure of Cleopatra and her political actions, in relation to the protagonists of her time represented by the Head of Julius Caesar from Tusculum of the Royal Museums, considered the most truthful portrait of the Dictator, and those of Mark Antony and Octavian Augustus, on loan from the Superintendence of Molise and the Capitoline Museums. On the other hand, it analyzes Cleopatra as a woman of power, leading a nation that experiences, under her reign, significant economic development, also thanks to the monetary reform desired by the queen herself, positioning her in a prominent role within the Mediterranean chessboard.

The exhibition continues with the story of the birth of the myth of Cleopatra, born while the queen was still alive and developed in the years immediately following, with the assimilation of her figure with that of the goddess Isis, which contributed to increasing the charm and mystery

of her persona in the centuries to come.

Exhibition setup images, copyright: Daniele Bottallo / DB Studio Agency